Rande Gerber, husband of Cindy Crawford and business partner of George Clooney, has apparently been drinking all afternoon. Tequila, to be precise. “It’s normal,” explains his PR. “You’ll have to drink some too.”We are in the glamorous confines of the Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge, and it has only just gone 4pm. Would it be rude to request a coffee, a tea, or some water, perhaps, instead? And will Rande - no sniggering at the back - be rolling around on the floor in a state of inebriation by the time our interview starts? I do hope so.In fact, the man I meet in a private dining room seems suspiciously abstemious. If he is drunk, then he is 'LA drunk’ – that is the British equivalent of completely sober. He has perfectly coiffed hair and a handsome, sun-kissed face that is not the slightest bit flushed with alcohol.

His shirt buttons are undone, but unlike the common or garden British drunk, they have been undone on purpose, in order to display an air of relaxed sophistication.

Yes, a glass of tequila sits in front of him, but I suspect it is to show willing given that he is here to plug his new tequila brand – Casamigos - that he and his old mate George have created together. (Gerber only flew in from New York two hours ago, and though he says the drink will keep him going for the glittering launch party that evening, attended by both George and Cindy, I am pretty sure he would rather be upstairs with his wife, who he says is “probably taking a bath”).Anyway, their Tequila is the result of years of hard… well, drinking, if Gerber and Clooney are being honest. The pair, who have known each other for over 20 years, are so close that they almost built a house together in Mexico, but the wife (Cindy) put her foot down, so now they just have neighbouring properties.Over the years they have developed a love of Tequila so being the kind of guys they are – one a Hollywood A-lister, the other a shrewd entrepreneur worth $100m thanks to his nightclub business – they decided to create their own.One that didn’t taste like lighter fuel. “George and I designed it so that you wouldn’t have to cover up the taste with the lime and the salt.” Contrary to popular belief, the point of tequila is not to get blind drunk and spend the next three days feeling sorry for yourself – apparently it should be treated more like a fine brandy or whisky.“We wanted to be able to drink it all night and not feel hungover. It’s very different to most people’s experiences [of tequila] back in college or university.”They are launching it in the UK now in part so that Clooney can buy it when he is in the country, which is far more now he is married to British lawyer Amal Alamuddin. Does Mrs Clooney like knocking back the tequila then?Gerber laughs nervously. “She appreciates it now and then, but you know, we haven’t really gone out drinking much, so I couldn’t really say.” Surely Cindy, the most super of the 1990s supermodels, doesn’t get ratted on tequila? More nervous laughter. ”She drinks it in the same way I do. She likes the fact she doesn’t get a headache the next day.”

I tell him that this miraculous hangover-free tequila is bound to go down well with us over here, where we like a drink or seven. Has he witnessed the famous (infamous?) British drinking culture? “Oh yeah, I’ve witnessed that. But I’ve also witnessed Brits who just like to have a few on the rocks and sit and socialise.”He sips on his drink. I wonder, given the sober approach to drinking in California, if he has any tips on responsible drinking.“Always have a driver,” he quips. He then recounts a night out with Clooney. “We’d been drinking at one of my restaurants in Miami, and got a ride back [on motorcycles with friends] to my place. George decided to stay at ours. Typically he stays in the guest house but seeing as we’d polished off a bottle I put him in the guest room of the main house.”

Problem is, when Rande’s been out drinking, he tends to stay in the guest room. “If I’m in a bit of a state. You know…” I do.But that night, Rande crashed in one of the kids rooms. When I vocalise the image in my head of him passed out amongst the children’s toys, reeking of tequila, he tells me, in his defence, that the children were in the 'master’ bedroom with Cindy.“So at about 3am, my wife comes in and she’s like, 'OH MY GOD, I JUST GOT INTO BED WITH GEORGE.’” And Rande is, like, 'what?’ “She was like, 'I walked into the guest room and I got into bed with who I thought was you - passed out, face down with your clothes on. So I got into bed and I’m like 'hey babe, why don’t you get undressed?’” – at this Gerber mimes rubbing his thigh – “and then George turned his head going 'Oh my god, I’m so sorry!’”Later, they all had a good laugh about it. “George said 'this has to be our advert: drink Casamigos and wake up with Cindy Crawford.’”. To which Cindy replied: “No, it should be 'drink Casamigos and wake up with George Clooney.’”Gerber, who was born in New York and used to be a model himself, is a youthful 53. He lives in Malibu with Cindy and their two children, Presley, 16, and Kaia, 14. Their youngest recently signed to a modelling agency, but “she’s not thinking about a career yet. She likes modelling and she’s watched her mum do it, but she’s still in school.”

I say that the industry doesn’t seem half as great as it did back during his wife’s heyday, when everyone was glamorous and glossy and gorgeous. “Right. I mean, there’s a new generation [now]. Social media can make someone famous as opposed to having to be on a magazine cover. The supermodels were superstars back then. I’m not sure it’s like that any more.”We talk a bit about life Chez Gerber-Crawford. He says he is a “lucky man” to be married to the 49-year old. “She is incredible. There’s nothing better. It’s amazing.”

When they are at home, “typically we barbecue and hang out with the kids. Sometimes we’ll play games together, like Backgammon.” Sexy! Anyway, despite putting the kibosh on Clooney living with them (this was pre-Amal), Cindy does allow the annual boys’ motorcycle trip.This summer they went to Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and Utah. “The paparazzi will follow us for like the first hour, but we can lose them pretty fast.” They show up at motels unannounced and often have to share a room. That’s hot, I joke. He laughs. Nervously. I wonder if I am being too British for him, so I gulp back my tequila. I note that it is indeed lovely, but that he’s barely touched his at all.

Last edited by Nicky80 on Fri Oct 09 2015, 19:30; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : added text)